Vampire Queens and Jelly Beans
by applestooapples
Summary: The return of the Lich and the near-extinction of all life forces Bubblegum to take her duties as ruler of the candy kingdom to whole new dimensions. As her concern for the future of Ooo and her lingering feelings for a certain vampire queen weigh heavier on her shoulders by the day, PB realizes that maybe Finn isn't the only one who still has some growing up to do.
1. Prologue

**[0]**

It's been a long time since she's thought about…well, a long time ago (or so it seems to her, because she's only eighteen-and-half, and she's only just getting to the point where a year doesn't feel like forever).

But then that pesky door lord just _had _to come and steal her sleep shirt (the one that still smelled just faintly of cinnamon and…well, red, if that makes any since at all), and Marceline the Vampire Queen just _had _to get bored and tag along.

Under different circumstances, she might admit that it's almost _funny_, how the smallest, most insignificant of choices end up dictating the future.

Does it matter which dress she wears to the annual Gumball Ball?

No.

Does anyone _really _notice if she locks herself away from the world for weeks on end in order to create her psychologically super-powered, mentally unstable brain-child?

Why would they?

But can a simple statement (_"Marceline, that's too distasteful!"_) change the mood of what could otherwise promise to be a perfectly normal day (at least, as normal as days ever get here)?

Of course it can.

Can the result of that simple, thoughtless statement reverse the clock and make her feel things that she'd sworn she'd forgotten how to feel so many years ago?

How could it _not_?

And now here she lies on her baby-pink bed, curled up in a most unsightly manner and clutching at a ratty old rock t-shirt as if it's her last lifeline.

It's a well-known fact that Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum is near-impossible to romance, and not just by Finn the Human and his puppy love.

Something that isn't quite so well-known is that the candy princess has actually taken the time to _teach _herself not to want or need anyone else. She finds that she prefers her test-tubes and equations to the multitude of hopeful suitors she's met over the past forever or so. Math never changes—math can go on forever, if one has the patience for it, and there will always be a problem with a firm, tangible solution (but then, there are always problems remaining, no matter how many you solve).

Love, Bubblegum has found, doesn't quite follow the same rules.

Love changes—feelings change. People want more, people want less. People love a person more than anything until they love someone else more than that.

And then there are the people who simply don't care _who_ they hurt along the way, as long as they can see their goal at the end of the tunnel.

They're the worst.

She knows this because just a few years ago, that used to be her. She was only confident until the fork in the road, and then she was just another scared teenage girl who just wanted a way out so that she could find that same, predictable path again. And when she had realized that Marceline wasn't quite as strong and carefree as she made herself out to be, she was terrified and she'd just _run_.

She'd run back to her kingdom—back to her test-tubes and her math, and she began to take pleasure in learning, because whatever sort of problem can be found in books always has a clear answer. There are never any forks—never any compromises or choosing one love over the other.

And Bubblegum had just managed to convince herself that she didn't ever want to love a person so dearly again, because things just got so globbing _complicated_, and she was just so certain that love brought more pain than it did happiness.

Only there are always flaws in every theory—errors in every equation. And for Bubblegum, that error is (always) Marceline the Vampire Queen.

Because as much as she's convinced herself that she is happier devoting all of her love to her people, there's still some stupid part of her that wishes she could do it from Marceline's arms. She almost wants to be angry at Marceline (more so than usual, at least) for being such a butt and provoking her in the first place, because she never would have had these doubts if it weren't for that stupid song.

But she can't.

She can't, because in that moment, she'd felt that Marceline's love still existed—that it was there and as stable as any of her favorite equations—and it made her feel safer than she can ever remember feeling.

Bubblegum tires of ruling a kingdom, sometimes.

Sometimes, she wishes that there were someone to look over _her_.

And sometimes (but only in the dreams she refuses to acknowledge), Bubblegum wonders if maybe it only hurt so much because she was so young, and still growing into everything she'd been expected to inherit. Sometimes, she wonders whether the problem really was that she couldn't trust Marceline to catch her if she fell, or if it was the knowledge that Marceline _would _catch her if she fell.

Really, when she thinks about it, Marceline the Vampire Queen is a lot like math—she's lived a thousand years, and she'll live a thousand more. She's proven just today that she still loves Bubblegum, even after all this time. And Marceline never seems to be trapped—she's always slipping out of one sticky situation just to dodge another the next minute.

Not like Bubblegum, who sometimes feels as though she's nothing more than a puppet in a tiara.

Math never ends—math never changes.

Neither does Marceline.

So, if it's so easy for her to trust her formulas and equations, why can't she bring herself to trust Marceline?

In the end, she decides that it's really a matter of principle—math, she can do with her mind. Bubblegum trusts her mind completely. It has never once let her down.

It's just that her heart isn't quite as sensible and rational as her mind, and she isn't entirely sure she can trust it with _anything._

* * *

**A/N: Please review if you want to see more—reviews are like stocking stuffers, guys—I love getting them and they're great motivation :) I read this one article for an assignment for English 121 and according to this one copy editor/blogger, most people can't write—or at least, most professional writers. So naturally, this freaked me out right as I'd FINALLY gotten over my writer's block—so really, if you did enjoy this, please let me know! **


	2. One

**Hey, here's chapter one-sorry it took so long to upload, I do have more chapters written and I'll try my best to start uploading sooner! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and encouraged me to continue! :)**

* * *

**[1]**

Bubblegum wasn't sure whether it was the noise that woke her or the raging headache that accompanied it, but someone was going to pay for it.

_With their head, _Bubblegum thought crossly as she threw the covers off of her body and stomped (pointedly) toward the door to her bedroom.

She threw that open, too.

Only this time the violent outburst was accompanied by an earsplittingly high-pitched shriek on Bubblegum's part as a figure swung down from what was presumably the outer doorframe—if she hadn't jumped back on instinct, she would also have been smacked across the face with an uncontrollable mane of coal-black hair. An audible growl escaped Bubblegum's chest—although it not so much escaped as it simply came out, because really, Marceline had to be the most _infuriating _person she'd ever met (including the duke of nuts, with the possible exception of the Ice King).

"Happy to see me, Bonnibel?" Marceline drawled, her forked tongue flicking suggestively, causing Bubblegum's face to turn an impressive dark magenta. The vampire queen laughed and removed her feet from where they were gripping the doorframe, flipping right side up and hovering before Bubblegum, hands stuffed into the pockets of her tight skinny jeans.

Bubblegum ignored Marceline's question, instead turning her attention to the relative chaos in progress behind the vampire queen. "What is going on in here?" she shrieked, her voice jumping an octave (she really _had _meant to be more professional, okay, but it was _Marceline,_ and Bubblegum just _knew _that the vampire was well aware of just how infuriating she found that stupid, cocky smirk to be).

Marceline glanced around behind her, as if noticing the chaos for the first time. She turned back to Bubblegum and grinned, her fangs glinting almost dangerously in the light—but not really, because Marceline was never _really _dangerous, just…mischievous. Bubblegum felt her cheeks heating up with the memories that floated unbidden to the surface of her mind and huffed, hoping her embarrassment would be mistaken for annoyance.

"Come on, Bonnie," Marceline drawled, slouching back and tucking her legs up, as if slumping in an invisible chair. "All that stress isn't good for your pretty pink complexion." A forked tongue flicked out from between pale lips in amusement when Bubblegum's face turned an interesting shade of magenta.

Bubblegum felt her irritation begin to overpower her—if she didn't get away from Marceline soon, a very unprofessional (and just outright unsightly) royal tantrum was on its way. But, unfortunately, as sole ruler of the Candy Kingdom, the pink princess had an obligation to stay and endure Marceline's teasing, as the vampire queen seemed to be the only person paying her any shred of attention, unwanted or otherwise, and she had to figure out what all the chaos was about.

"Stop being such a butt, Marceline, and just tell me what's going on out here!" Bubblegum demanded shrilly, attempting to assert her authority over the situation (not that it had ever made a difference before).

Marceline opened her mouth—to continue her teasing, if the growing smirk was any indication—but was cut off by a flash of blue and red as Finn and Flame Princess barreled toward the two older girls. Ever agile, the vampire darted gracefully backwards, her knees drawing up to her chest, seamlessly sidestepping Finn and his girlfriend. Bubblegum, on the other hand, looked shocked, and then scandalized as the two tumbled to the floor. She whipped back around to glare at Marceline (because _someone _had to take the blame), who merely smirked and looked on in amusement. Huffing, Bubblegum whirled back around, fixing her stern gaze on the two teenagers, who lay spread-eagled and panting on the floor of the hallway.

"Finn!" she snapped, her voice choking awkwardly when a cool, not entirely unwelcome weight settled over her shoulders. Feeling the steam pouring off of her body in waves, Bubblegum was about to shrug Marceline away—and none too gently—but, for some reason, she changed her mind at the last second.

(Whatever reason it _was_, it definitely _wasn't _that maybe the pleasant, physical weight had instantly alleviated the dull ache of the much heavier, metaphorical weight of her royal duties that she carried around on her shoulders even in sleep.)

Tensing further under Marceline's cool touch, Bubblegum closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a long, steadying breath, silently collecting herself. Finally, she released the air from her lungs through her nose and opened her eyes again. "What are you doing running around the castle? I thought I'd talked to you about that! It's fine to play around outside, but I cannot allow you to conduct yourself in such an undignified manner inside the candy castle!"

Her question was directed at Finn, but the fiery girl beside him let out a loud, purposeful scoff. Bubblegum's eyes narrowed at the slight, her chest puffing out in indignation (and it was just her imagination, the way Marceline's grip had tightened for just a moment).

Slightly oblivious but not stupid, Finn jumped to his feet, eager to prevent a fight from breaking out between the two princesses, given their already strained relationship. Every time the two princesses were in the same room, or even within a fifty foot radius of each other, the air crackled and sparked with bottled up tension. "Sorry, Peebles," the now not-quite-so-young boy quickly piped up, stepping in front of Flame Princess in what was probably supposed to be a subtle attempt at dissolving some of the tension, "I just wanted to introduce FP to Stormo, I guess I got kind of overexcited."

Marceline snorted into Bubblegum's ear, causing the princess to roll her eyes. "Really, Marceline, act your age," she hissed under her breath so that only the vampire could hear.

"Aww, but that wouldn't be any fun, Bonnie," Marceline drawled, her voice low and her breath warm against the shell of Bubblegum's ear. The princess fought back a shudder—she wouldn't give Marceline the satisfaction she was digging for. "I'm a thousand years old, remember? If I acted my age, I'd be all bitter and boring…but maybe you'd like that, huh, Bonnie? Maybe you wouldn't hate me if I was just like you."

Every muscle in Bubblegum's body tensed at that statement, and she jerked out from underneath Marceline's arms, not even sparing the other girl her iciest glare. Instead, she turned her attention back to a confused and distressed Finn and an amused-looking Flame Princess beside him. "Please try to contain your excitement in the castle, Finn," Bubblegum reprimanded, though her tone was less than cold as she watched the boy extend his hand to Flame Princess, who was still seated on the floor (although Bubblegum thought she actually looked quite comfortable there—too comfortable, actually. The candy princess was tempted to slap that smug look right off her face).

The two younger teens ran off in the direction of the tower, and Bubblegum sighed. At least Finn had attempted to heed Bubblegum's word, but unfortunately, the boy wasn't much of a match for his flaming girlfriend when her childlike excitement set in. The princess took a deep breath, choosing not to follow after the two—she had more pressing matters to attend to. Bubblegum could feel the coal-black eyes resting on the back of her head—Marceline was waiting for her to turn around, undoubtedly wearing that sad expression like Bubblegum had kicked her puppy to death. The pain and confusion she found in those eyes always twisted around her heart like a snake, squeezing and squeezing until she felt it break in her chest.

Steeling her resolve, Bubblegum straightened her back and turned on her heel, marching straight past Marceline, eyes fixed determinedly on the wall at the end of the hallway. She felt the vampire's eyes following her right up until she turned the corner and disappeared into her lab, and convinced herself that the sick feeling pooling in the pit of her stomach was a result of food poisoning.

Unfortunately, Bubblegum couldn't quite bring herself to buy into her own feeble excuse—try as she might, she wasn't upset enough to overlook the fact that Peppermint Butler had never once served a meal that was anything less than gourmet.

* * *

That night, Bubblegum found herself curled up in her oversized pink bed, her knees tucked to her chest, her thin arms holding them in place. Her lips were pressed against the soft skin of her thighs, and her eyes were focused somewhere far beyond the four walls of her bedroom.

It had been so long—she'd only just managed to convince herself that she didn't need anyone's touch or affection—that she was, in fact, better off without having to worry about sending mixed messages (especially after the Finn incident)—and now here was Marceline, completely undermining every one of her painstaking efforts again (_again_), like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that had engulfed her the second she'd shrugged Marceline away. She had felt so cold in that moment, which was actually kind of ironic, considering the vampire's natural body heat hovered just slightly above room temperature at best.

Bubblegum growled in frustration, the vibrations starting deep in her diaphragm and ripping out of her before she could stop them. "Stupid Marceline," she muttered, her eyes brimming with involuntary tears. The more pressure that gathered around behind her eyes, the more irritated Bubblegum became—how stupid was it to get so upset over Marceline's perpetual teasing after all these years?

The princess huffed and yanked the covers over her candy locks, trying (unsuccessfully) to turn _off _her mind for the first time since she'd discovered her passion for science.

(Somewhere, in a locked compartment buried deep inside her heart, Bubblegum knew that it hadn't been the teasing at all.)

* * *

In a cave miles away from where Bubblegum lay conflicted in her candy-pink bed, Marceline slammed the door to her traditional-style house shut behind her as she stormed in (or, rather, _tried_ to storm in, but storming, as a rule, just isn't quite as satisfying when one is hovering a foot above the ground).

"Ugh!" Marceline threw herself face-first onto her bed, tugging a large pillow into her arms and screaming into it until her throat started to burn.

She knew what Bubblegum wanted—Bubblegum wanted to forget that anything had ever happened between them. Bubblegum wanted to cling to her flawless reputation as everyone's favorite, sugary-sweet princess, and Marceline was too crass and "distasteful" to fit into her life.

_"The candy people would disapprove," _Bubblegum had said.

_"It wouldn't be such a problem if you didn't have to go around sneaking up on my citizens and scaring them for fun!" _Bubblegum had said.

Marceline had scoffed then. _"If your citizens weren't so _uptight_, it wouldn't be a problem," _she'd replied with a sneer to mask the hurt that Bubblegum's words had planted in her chest. Messing around, scaring people for fun…that was who she _was_—sometimes it felt like Bubblegum would like her better if she were just like her. _"But I guess I can't expect them to be able to take a joke, with _you _leading them."_

Baring her teeth and hissing at the memory, Marceline fought to keep the salty tears pooling in her eyes from falling—she hated crying. She hated being weak, especially for _Bubblegum_—the globbing princess of _candy_—of all people.

But Bubblegum had always been her weakest link.

Bubblegum coped by pretending like she didn't remember—like all Marceline was good for was being a perpetual thorn in her side. It must be nice, she thought, to be able to shove everything to the back of her mind and go on with her life without even a hint of regret.

She never wished that she could do the same, though—she and Bubblegum couldn't contrast each other more completely if one of them were a negative. Bubblegum ran from her problems—used her role as the ruler of the candy kingdom as an excuse to shove her personal feelings to the back of her mind. Marceline, on the other hand, though she didn't like showing weakness (not that she was much good at hiding it anymore), had always been very upfront about her attraction toward Bubblegum back when they were…whatever they were.

Bubblegum always used to love it, Marceline remembered, even when she'd complain about the excessive touching and playful licking the vampire had always been so fond of.

Bubblegum hadn't always been so paranoid—her eyes hadn't always darted from side to side when she thought Marceline wasn't looking. That happened later, gradually, or so Marceline assumed—all she could remember now was her Bubblegum versus the princess Bubblegum, because they seemed like two separate people now (only not at all).

As a vampire, Marceline didn't need to sleep, but that night she burrowed beneath her covers and just stared into the darkness for hours, wondering why she couldn't just let Bubblegum go like the princess so obviously wanted her to.

* * *

Miles away, Bubblegum was lying in much the same position, wondering why she so desperately needed Marceline as a part of her life, even if all she ever got again was that stupid, fanged smirk.

* * *

**Please review! :)**


End file.
